Dead end clamp assembly



Nov. 15, 1966 L. E. LINDSEY 3,284,853

DEAD END CLAMP ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 10, 1964 INVENTOR. A. E (fit/055V United States Patent 3,284,863 DEAD END CLAMP ASSEMBLY L. E. Lindsey, 222 Vista Ave., Pasadena, Calif. Filed Nov. 10, 1964, Ser. No. 410,105 Claims. (Cl. 24-125) This invention relates to transmission line hardware and more particularly to an improved dead end clamp suitable for servicing, if need arise, while a power line cable clamped therein is hot, and so constructed and arranged that it can be opened and closed by a remotelylocated workman and wherein all components remain captively assembled irrespective of whether the clamp is open or closed.

Dead end clamps for power conductors have heretofore been designed and manufactured in a variety of styles and designs. Although many of these serve their intended purposes quite satisfactorily, all are subject to certain disadvantages in that it is not feasible to service the efiiciently and effectively without risk of serious injury to the workman unless first de-energizing a power line clamped therein. The principal reason for this is that certain of the components of prior clamping assemblies must be disassembled and removed to permit opening of the clamp. This operation requires the presence of the workman in the immediate vicinity of the clamp to effect reassembly, if not disassembly, of the detachable components and this involves the serious risk of injury to the workman by virtue of the high voltage typically present in a live power conductor.

It is a primary object of the present invention to avoid these risks and dangers by provision of a dead end clamping assembly specially designed for servicing by longhandled tools held in the hands of a remotely-located workman. More particularly, the clamp design is such that no component need ever be removed or detached from the assembly itself to effect all normal servicing operations, including complete opening and reclosing of the clamp either from the ground or from a safe location on the supporting pole or tower. To this end, the clamp is provided with a clamping jaw held assembled to the main body of the clamp by a lost-motion hinge operating in combination with an appropriate adjustable keeper. Both the hinge and the keeper subassemblies include elongated threaded shanks or the like sufficiently long to permit the clamping nuts to be run back until the clamp can be laid open thereby fully exposing the conductor seating channel. Thereafter, the clamping jaw can be easily lifted and pivoted back to its clamping position following which the adjustable clamping nuts are retightened to lock the clamping jaw rigidly in place.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved cable clamping assembly having a movable clamping jaw constructed and arranged to be fully opened and reclosed without need for detaching any components and by a workman positioned re motely from the clamp itself.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a unitary dead end clamp assembly having a clamping jaw adapted to be pivoted to a fully open position to one side of the cable seating channel and wherein all parts of the assembly remain captively attached irrespective of whether the clamp is open or closed.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a power cable clamping assembly designed for servicing from a remote point while 'a cable associated therewith remains energized, and featuring adjustable components which remain captively assembled and which are conveniently positioned for servicing from a remote station.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon 3,284,863 Patented Nov. 15, 1966 ice considering in connection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the power cable held clamped to a supporting structure by a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line 22 on FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view taken from the keeper side of the clamping assembly; and

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 44 on FIGURE 3.

Referring more particularly to FIGURE 1, there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention clamping assembly designated generally -10 in use to support a power conducting cable 11. Clamping assembly 10 is supported by a clevis 12 to an eye bolt 13 of a high potential insulator assembly 14. The latter is connected by a tie rod 15 to a cross arm 16 mounted on a pole 17.

Clamping assembly 10 has a main body 20 cast in one piece from high-strength, lightweight metal alloy and has an upwardly opening cable seating channel 21 extending lengthwise thereof and preferably having a sinuously contoured bottom 21, clearly illustrated in FIGURE 2, and found highly effective in rigidly clamping a power conductor therein. The troughs or low portions of this sinuous passage are equipped with drain ports 22 to permit drainage of water which would otherwise be trapped in the cable seating channel. Cast integral with one end of the main body is a closed loop 24 to which a pulley block or like means for tensioning the power cable can be attached to maintain the cable taut while the clamping jaw is loose or in open position.

Clamping jaw 26 overlies the cable seating channel 21 and has a downwardly facing surface 27 complemental in shape to sinuous surface 21 and cooperating therewith in the closed position of the clamp to deform the power cable 11 and thereby aid materially in anchoring the cable assembled to the clamp.

Jaw member 26 is held pivotally assembled to the main body by a lost-motion adjustable hinge best shown in FIGURE 4, this hinge including a pair of identical eye bolts 29 having long threaded shanks 30. These shanks pass through openings in bosses 31 formed integral with one side of the main body with their eye portions embracing a hinge pin 33 passing horizontally through aligned openings in bosses integral with one side of clamping jaw 26. Keeper nuts 34 are assembled on threaded ends 30 of the eye bolts and are tightened against the lower end of bosses 31 during the closing operation of the clamping jaw.

The opposite lateral edge of clamping jaw 26 is pro vided with similar eye bolts 39 likewise having long threaded shanks 40. The eye ends .of these bolts are held assembled between bosses projecting laterally from the jaw by means of a hinge pin 43. The shanks of the eye bolts pass downwardly along the sides of main body 10 through outwardly or laterally opening channels '44 cast in the sides of main body 20. The lower ends of the walls forming channels 44 have downwardly facing concave contours indicated at 45 in FIGURE 4 and serve as recesses for seating complementally shaped surfaces at the ends of a keeper member 46. Keeper 46 comprises an elongated member having a tool engaging loop 47 in its midportion. The opposite ends of keeper 46 have openings fitting loosely over the threaded shanks 40 of eye bolts 39.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that when clamping nuts 54 on the threaded ends of the eye bolts of the eye bolts.

'so released the clamping jaw can be pivoted upwardly and counterclockwise about hinge pin 33, as the device is viewed in FIGURE 4, provided lock nuts 34 are back off sufficiently from their tightened positions.

The mode of use and operation of the described clamping assembly will be quite apparent from the foregoing detailed description of its components and their operating relationship to one another. '12 of the main body is assembled to the outer end of a suit- Customarily, the clevis end able insulator assembly 14 previously mounted on a power line pole or tower. Thereafter, one end of any suitable pulley block is anchored to loop 24 at the free end of clamping assembly and the far end of the pulley block is then attached to a power cable 11 preparatory to tensioning this cable. Before actual tensioning is carried out, the various clamping nuts on the eye bolts 30, 40

are suitably loosened downwardly toward the outer ends When so loosened the keeper is free of its concave seating recesses 45 and the entire jaw is pivoted counterclockwise, as viewed in FIGURE 4, about each pin 33.

The pulley block is then used to tension the cable to a desired tautness following which it is laid downwardly into the upwardly opening seating channel 21. This having been accomplished, clamping jaw 26 is swung 180 de- 'grees so" that its sinuous surface 27 directly overlies the cable. The single keeper member 46 is then positioned directly below the concave surfaces 45. Each pair 34, 54 of the clamping nuts is then tightened thereby progressively forcing jaw 26 to deform the cable until it conforms to the shape of the sinuous passage. In the final fully clamped condition, the cable will lie in the position shown in FIGURE 2. This having been accomplished, the pulley blocks may be detached from the cable and from loop 24.

Thereafter, should it be necessary to service the power line while hot, this may be done without de-energizing the cable. First the workman reapplies a pulley block to the cable and to loop 24 of the clamping assembly 10, in accordance with known technique in this art. Once this has been done, long-handled tools may be applied to nuts 34 and 54, either from a ground station or from a remote position on the tower itself. The clamping nuts are backed off to a position near but short of the lower end of the eye bolt sufliciently to release keeper 46 as well as to permit the clamping jaw itself to pivot freely about hinge pin 33. A hook in the end of a long-handled tool is then placed in keeper loop 47 and the latter is pivoted along with eye bolts 40, 40 out of locking position within recesses 45. The operator then continues to elevate the of whether the clamping jaw is fully open or closed, or in some intermediate position therebetween.

While the particular dead end clamp assembly herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention 4 and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A unitary clamping assembly for a cable, said assembly having an elongated main body member provided with means for attaching the same to a support, said main body member having a long open-topped open-ended cable seating channel therein, a cable clamping member overlying the open top of said channel, lost-motion hinge means interconnecting one lateral edge of said member to the adjacent edge of said main body member, keeper means including adjustable clamping means therefor operatively interconnecting the opposite lateral edges of said main body member and said jaw member, said assembly being characterized in that all components thereof are adjustable as necessary to permit a cable to be inserted in said seating channel, clamped in place and released for servicing while all components of said clamping assembly remain captively assembled thereto, said adjustable means -for said keeper mean-s including a plurality of eye bolts having their eye portions pivotally connected to said jaw member by pivot pin means, the long threaded shanks of said eye bolt passing through and being bridged by said keeper means and being held rnovably assembled the-realong by clamp-ing nuts, and seating means on said main body member positioned to provide stopsengageable by said keeper means and cooperating with the latter in holding said jaw member clamped closed when said clamping nuts are tightened along the shanks of said eye bolts.

2. A clamping assembly as defined in claim 1 character-ized in that the juxtaposed surfaces of said cable seatin-g channel and of said clamping member are 'of complemental sinuous contour lengthwise of said channel to facilitate rigid anchorage of a cable therein.

3. A clamping assembly as defined in claim 2 charactenlzed in that the low areas of the sinuous surface in said seating channel have drain openings extending downward-1y thereth rough to drain away rain water.

4. A clamping assembly as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said hinge means for said clamp-ing member includes a plurality of eye bolts having pivot pin means extending through the eye portions thereof and through aligned openings along one lateral edge of said jaw member, the threaded shank portions of said eye bolts extending loosely through openings along one lateral side of said main body member and said bolt shanks extending very substantially beyond the lower ends of said last-mentioned openings to permit clamping nuts present on said lower ends to be backed off substantial distances while remaining captively assembled on said eye bolts.

5. A dead end clamp assembly for use with power cables and adapted to be opened and closed when hot by a remotely located workman and wherein all parts are held captively assembled irrespective of whether the clamp is open or closed, said clamp assembly comprising an elongated main body having means at one end for securing the same to an insulator or like support, an upwardly opening cable seating channel extending lengthwise of its other end, a clamping jaw member cooperable with said channel to anchor a cable immovably therein, lost-motion hinge means interconnecting one edge of said jaw member to one side of said cable seating channel, lost-motion hinging keeper means along the other side of said cable seating channel and including adjustable means adapted to be tightened to hold said jaw member tightly clamped in said cable seating channel, said hinging means permitting said jaw member to be pivoted to the open position thereof entirely clear of said cable seating channel when the adjustable means there-for are loosened to a substantial degree but remain captively assembled to said clamp assembly, aligned hinge pin means extending along the op posite sides of said jaw member and forming part ofsaid hinge means and of said adjustable means, means having long threaded shanks movably secured to each of said hinge pin means and extending downwardly along the opposite sides of said cable seating channel, the threaded shanks on one side of said main body being held captively assembled to said main body by adjustable nut means on said shanks, the threaded shanks on the other side of said main body loosely supporting a rigid keeper member engageable with stop means along the adjacent side of said main body, and nuts on said last-mentioned shanks adjustable to hold said keeper member clamped against said stop means to hold said jaw member clamped against a cable extending along said cable seating channel.

6. A dead end clamp assembly as defined in claim 5 characterized in that said main body includes a closed loop integral with the end thereof remote from said insulator-supported end, said loop being in axial alignment with said main body but below the bottom of said cable seating channel, and said adjustable means for holding said jaw member closed including an elongated keeper having a tool-engaging loop tor seating a tool to open and close said jaw member when said clamp assembly is hot.

7. A dead end clamp assembly as defined in claim 5 characterized in that said stop means and said keeper member have complement-ally shaped opposed surfaces shaped to assure .proper positioning of said keeper during tightening of said jaw member against a cable.

8. A dead end clamp assembly as defined in claim 7 characterized in that said keeper is provided with a portion fior seating a manipulating tool held by a remotely positioned workman and useful in manipulating said kee er and jaw member between open and closed position while said clamp assembly is hot.

9. A dead end clamp assembly as defined in claim 8 wherein said jaw and the keeper captively assembled thereto are pivotable to and fro between closed position and an open position wherein said jaw member and keeper are suspended along one side of said main body clear of said cable seating channel.

10. A dead end clamp assembly as defined in claim 5 characterized in that said threaded shanks tfiorm part of separate eye bolts each having an eye portion loosely journaled on said hinge pin means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 125,396 4/1872 Jenney 24-135 928,367 7/1909 De Witt 24--135 X 1,268,981 6/1918 Lapp 24-135 1,569,327 1/ 1926 Linthwaite. 1,659,196 2/1928 Fulton 24-284 X 2,090,557 8/ 1937 Sparks 24-125 2,616,139 11/1952 Von Wald 24126 2,884,476 4/1959 Lock 24135 X FOREIGN PATENTS 346,752 4/ 1931 Great Britain.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner. 

1. A UNITARY CLAMPING ASSEMBLY FOR A CABLE, SAID ASSEMBLY HAVING AN ELONGATED MAIN BODY MEMBER PROVIDED WITH MEANS FOR ATTACHING THE SAME TO A SUPPORT, SAID MAIN BODY MEMBER HAVING A LONG OPEN-TOPPED OPEN-ENDED CABLE SEATING CHANNEL THEREIN, A CABLE CLAMPING MEMBER OVERLYING THE OPEN TOP OF SAID CHANNEL, LOST-MOTION HINGE MEANS INTERCONNECTING ONE LATERAL EDGE OF SAID MEMBER TO THE ADJACENT EDGE OF SAID MAIN BODY MEMBER, KEEPER MEANS INCLUDING ADJUSTABLE CLAMPING MEANS THEREFOR OPERATIVELY INTERCONNECTING THE OPPOSITE LATERAL EDGES OF SAID MAIN BODY MEMBER AND SAID JAW MEMBER, SAID ASSEMBLY BEING CHARACTERIZED IN THAT ALL COMPONENTS THEREOF ARE ADJUSTABLE AS NECESSARY TO PERMIT A CABLE TO BE INSERTED IN SAID SEATING CHANNEL, CLAMPED IN PLACE AND RELEASED FOR SERVICING WHILE ALL COMPONENTS OF SAID CLAMPING ASSEMBLY REMAIN CAPTIVELY ASSEMBLED THERETO, SAID ADJUSTABLE MEANS FOR SAID KEEPER MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF EYE BOLTS HAVING THEIR EYE PORTIONS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID JAW MEMBER BY PIVOT PIN MEANS, THE LONG THREADED 